Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Chemo 4, Half Way

I'm scheduled for eight chemos (four cycles) and then an evaluation at which point we will talk about whether I'm 1. Done, 2. Need four more treatments, 3. Need radiation. (My money is on a total of twelve treatments, which seems not unusual.)

Tomorrow is chemo 4, which is half way to something, even if it's only halfway to another CT scan. After the last chemo, I actually did pretty good. Less adverse affects than before although more initial fatigue. Tomorrow's chemo book is Iron Council by China Mieville. I figure once I start to have trouble with Mieville's language, I'll just nap or something. I figure I'll ground to halt at some point on baroque sentences like, 'What circled around and over the city's upreached fingers? Birdlife, aerial vermin, wyrmen (laughing, monkey-footed things), and airships of cool colors, and smoke and clouds. The natural inclines of the land were all forgotten by New Corbuzom, which rose or fell according to quite other whims: it was mazed in three dimensions. Tons of brick and wood, concrete, marble and iron, earth, water, straw and daub, made roofs and walls.' Mieville's pleasure in inversions (ending the last sentence with the subject instead of 'Roofs and walls were made of tons of brick and wood...') is a signature of his prose, and not particularly a problem for me when I'm clear-headed, but gets difficult if I'm really tired or moderately stoned.

I am mildly apprehensive. I went into my first chemo glad to have finally started and really curious. I'm not curious anymore, I have to admit. After my last chemo, for days I would get queasy if I thought about popsicles. (I suck on something cold during part of the chemo to reduce some adverse affects.) I am more apprehensive that the chemo will be postponed because of my white blood count being low. I have been eating my vegetables and taking my vitamins and exercising. And visualizing. So here's hoping. If I dont post tomorrow, it's probably an indication that I had chemo, and so good news.

9 Comments:

Blogger Darby M. Dixon III said...

I took a long, long break after I read Perdido Street Station, whenever that was. Then, just before New Year's, I finished The Scar. And now, I want to read Iron Council, but I know it's for the best if I take another nice long break. He tires me out in the best way imaginable.

And, uh, hi! You've inadvertantly reminded that I still have a Blogger account, from way back when.

And here's to hoping for good news.

January 12, 2005 12:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sending you lots of virtual WBC's telepathically.

- Bob

January 12, 2005 12:34 PM  
Blogger Gregory Feeley said...

Hey, =anybody= can send virtual WBCs telepathically. But can you telepathically send a corporeal one, hmmm?


(What is a WBC, anyway? All I can come up with is Warner Brothers Cartoon.)

January 12, 2005 1:00 PM  
Blogger Maureen McHugh said...

WBCs, White Blood Counts. Bob has sent me a virtual WBC of exactly 7.0, which is the mean for healthy.

Turns out the machine that does blood counts is down so I have to go tonight, get a blood test, and they send it downtown so they can have the results tomorrow. Here's hoping today's pasta with bolognese sent my white blod count upward. And not because of, say, salmonella.

January 12, 2005 1:48 PM  
Blogger Maureen McHugh said...

Hi Darby!

It's fun reading your live journal, although your blog is currently a little content light.

January 12, 2005 2:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did you think to offer the blood count machine any of your pasta? I bet you didn't. I generally like blood count machines, but sometimes they can be a bit childish.

Good luck tonight/tomorrow.

- Mike Weholt

January 12, 2005 2:46 PM  
Blogger Madeleine Robins said...

I've sent Mighty Mouse flying your way with a box of Good Health, and a wooly shawl to wear when the chemo starts to make you cold.

Well, I would, if I had Mighty Mouse's contact data. May the WBCs be high, the chemo not too draining, and Iron Council not too inverted to be comprehensible.

January 12, 2005 6:22 PM  
Blogger David Moles said...

I thought Council was an easier read than Perdido or Scar, but it might just be that I've become acculturated to Miéville. Best of luck with that and the chemo.

January 12, 2005 6:25 PM  
Blogger Darby M. Dixon III said...

Glad you enjoy the LJ. And there's content on the blog now. And it's all your fault, I'll have you know!

January 12, 2005 8:18 PM  

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